Pro Raid League: Ironclad vs Shadowfangs

The arena was electric.

Thousands of fans were packed into their seats, the music blaring in time with blasts of pyrotechnics and smoke. The arena floor below was blacked and gouged from previous battles, a heavy steel cage surrounded the two long rectangular lanes the teams would be fighting in. The lanes had a series of walls up, each ready to drop down and release a new enemy for the teams to contend with.

The team had gotten seats right along the center line, able to look straight ahead down both lanes of the stage. They joined the crowds chants and cheers, the energy contagious. The announcer rose up on a platform, his voice booming through the speakers, working to hype up the crowd for the night's main duel, a matchup between two C ranked teams: Team Ironclad and Team Shadowfang.

“WELCOME, FIGHT FANS, TO A CLASH OF THE TITANS!” The announcer, a deep voiced veteran named Rex thunder roared out to the crowd. “WE’VE GOT AN AMAZING CONTEST FOR YOU TONIGHT, SO LET ME HEAR JUST HOW READY YOU ARE!”

The crowd screamed, the noise deafening. It was impossible not to join in as thousands of people yelled and cheered in excitement for the night's main event.

“THAT’S WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR, GIVE IT UP FOR OUR HOME TEAM, TEAM IRONCLAD, THE UNBREAKABLE WALL!!”

If it was even possible, the crowd cheered louder for the home team, the walls of the arena shaking at the noise of the crowd.

“AND NOW I BETTER HEAR IT, FOLKS, NOW GIVE IT UP FOR THEIR CHALLENGERS, TEAM SHADOWFANG, THE SILENT KILLERS!!”

The arena was filled with the sound of hissing, “SSSSSSSSSSS” as the Shadowfang’s fans welcomed their visiting team.

“BOTH TEAMS ARE GEARED UP TO TACKLE THE FIVE BRUTAL WAVES OF DUNGEON HORRORS, SO LET’S NOT WASTE ANYMORE TIME, BRING EM’ ON OUT!”

Large iron doors creaked open on either side of the arena, pyrotechnics and smoke machines going wild. Team Ironclad was a fortress of muscle and armor. They were led by two hulking warriors, each armored head to toe and carrying heavy iron shields nearly as tall as they were. Behind them, even their duelist, Controller, and Support were heavily armored. Each of them radiating the menace of a faceless and unbreakable foe. As team Ironclad reached the entrances to the cage they all turned and struck their weapons against metal, the sound echoing across the arena, their fans stomping or clapping in time with the sound of the weapons on metal.

Across the Arena, team Shadowfang wasn’t to be outdone. Figures dressed in black began to make their way to the cage, their movement bringing visions of the deadly dungeon monster they were named for to mind. Their heavy fighter wields a jagged great sword that seems to pulse with a dark energy. An assassin-like figure prowled next, the twin curved blades she wielded nearly invisible, seeming to appear and disappear as she moved. The two mages moved together, both shrouded in a darkness that seemed to pull at the edges of their silhouettes, distorting their shapes. Finally their support walked down the cage, a blur of darkness that moved in such a way that questioned if he was even human.

“CONTESTANTS, TAKE YOUR PLACES! THE FIRST ROUND IS ABOUT TO START.. 3.. 2.. 1.. BEGIN!”

The first walls fell and a swarm of constructs spilled out towards the waiting teams. They were like a wave, dozens of smaller, rattling bots covered in hard light to take on the appearance of spiders.

Ironclad’s twin shield bearers responded first. They moved together, locking shields to form a moving wall. As the swarm approached they slammed the shields down together and a wave of **** burst out, scattering the oncoming swarm. In the chaos their duelist dashed forward along the wave of constructs, sword trailing in his wake. A delayed eruption of explosions followed where his blade had been, each explosion destroying bots in chunks before they could recover.

Shadowfang mirrored the disciple of Ironclad with a different sort of rhythm. The mages opened first, circles of darkness appearing over the top of the oncoming swarm of spider bots. The circles hung for a moment before pulsing waves of energy downwards, as if gravity had intensified. The swarms were pressed against the surface of the stage, those underneath the circles unable to move. Their large fighter walked forward, great sweeps of the jagged great sword sending out bolts of darkness that scattered bots wherever they landed.

Both teams tore into the bots, metal screeching as the swarms were culled. As the last constructs clattered and died, both squads returned to their formations, appearing as if the first way hadn’t taken any effort at all.

“ROUND ONE, A CLEAN START FOR BOTH OF OUR CONTENDERS! BUT, WILL THEY BE ABLE TO SHOW THE SAME WITH THEIR NEXT CHALLENGE??”

The crowd ate it up, thunderous and hungry for more.

“LET’S FIND OUT: ROUND TWO, BEGIN!”

The next set of walls lowered, expanding the lanes in size as the next round of enemies were revealed. Two behemoth rock golems lumbered forward, each double the size of even the mountainous shield bearers of the Ironclads. As the golems walked forward, each step reverberated, threatening to crack the stage, their large fists raised to attack.

Shadowfang’s assassin leapt into action, a blur of speed as the curved swords they wore were drawn. The golem swung at the man, only to find two lines of darkness left eating away at its fist, the assailant already gone. The golem turned towards the rest of the team, raising a fist and beginning to fire shards of rock. The dark circles appeared again, this time facing towards the oncoming attack, the energy pulses destroying and deflecting the shards of rock. Their support raised their hand and the jagged greatword began to glow red, a ball of energy building at its tip.

With a thrust, the energy built up into the sword fired, hitting the chest of the golem and piercing through it. Again, the dark circles appeared, this time the waves of energy forcing the rock golem construct to its knees. The assassin's appearance was made known once again, twin trails of darkness running up the back of the golem to its head. The assassin appeared, standing as if unaffected by the gravity pulses bearing down on the golem. They swung the curved blades at the neck of the golem once, twice, three swings and the head of the construct broke free, falling to the ground.

Ironclad’s shield bearers once again opened, rushing forward into the golem’s reach. Heavy blows began to ring out, smashing into their shields, neither man moving so much as an inch backwards as they absorbed the blows. Their mage made his presence known, glowing grey rings appearing around the fists of the golem. As it continued to swing at the shield bearers, it found its fists chained to their shields by the magical links that had appeared. Using the magical chains, they moved sideways, spreading the golem's arms and leaving its core undefended. Their duelist lunged forward, blade thrusting directly into the golems’ chest. It began to heave and shake as bursts of fire lit off inside its chest, destroying it from the inside. Within moments all life had ceased, the golem collapsing backwards.

“WELL WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT, SHADOWFANG’S SUPPOSED TO BE THE SPEEDSTERS IN THIS MATCHUP, BUT IRONCLAD ARE SEEM TO BE LOOKING TO PROVE THAT BEING BUILT LIKE A MEDIEVAL FRIDGE DOESN’T SLOW YOU DOWN IF YOU JUST HIT HARD ENOUGH!”

“ARE WE READY FOR ROUND THREE?” The crowd roared their answer. “IT SOUNDS LIKE IT! ROUND THREE, BEGIN!”

The third set of walls lowered for both teams and what came out was not brute ****, but a wave of magic. It washed forward towards the teams, the lithe horrors it originated from slithering forward. Pale, long limbed creatures sang out as they moved towards the teams.

Both supports acted quickly. Ironclad’s armored support slammed his armored fists together and a mirage like shield appeared before the team. The magical effects of the creatures deflected off of the summon shield, creating visible sparks where the two effects clashed. Shadowfang's support took a subtler approach, veils of darkness appearing over the sources of the effects, seeming to stop the attack in its tracks entirely.

Without the magic effects, both teams made quick work of the constructs, cutting them down in moments.

“WHAT A SHOW! BOTH TEAMS TEACHING US THAT WITHOUT THEIR MAGIC, CAVE SIRENS ARE EASY PICKINGS ONCE YOU SILENCE THEM. LET’S SEE IF THEY CAN KEEP UP THAT MOMENTUM GOING INTO THE FOURTH ROUND! READY.. ROUND FOUR, BEGIN!”

As the fourth set of walls began to lower, bug-like Scythefly constructs flew up and through the openings before the walls had fully opened. Resembling dragonflies, these creatures bore large, scythe-like appendages. They buzzed towards the teams, blades out to the sides ready to cut them down.

One of the large shield bearers for the Ironclads raised their shield upwards, as if to defend against arrows from above. As they did, the shield appeared to expand, a magical effect reaching out in all directions from the edges of the shield. The Ironclad team moved underneath the overhead cover, forcing the scytheflies to move low to the ground as they flew forward. That put them in range for a bevy of magical chains that sprung up from the ground, creating a web to trap the constructs. The scytheflies didn’t hesitate, blades cutting through the chains, surprising the Ironclad team. The second shield bearer leapt to defend his team, surging forward with an ability to slam their shield into one of the flies. That left the other members of the team open, and the scytheflies moved in.

The overhead cover dropped as the skill deactivated in an attempt to respond to the scytheflies beelining towards the team’s support. The scythefly was too quick to be caught, the shield bearer not reacting quickly enough. The scythe arm of the construct slashed at the Ironclad support, the power of the impact throwing him backwards as he met the blow with his armored forearms.

The ironclads quickly recovered, putting down the flies before they could retreat for another diving attack. Checking on their support, the referee flagged the blow, calling the contestant eliminated. The crowd erupted at the call, jeering at the referee, boos ringing out from the stands. The eliminated Ironclad support made a good showing of it, stepping out of the cage waving to the fans.

The Shadowfangs had no such trouble. A shroud of darkness fell over the team as they identified the scytheflies, concealing them to avoid the devastating dive bomb attacks the constructs were capable of. Several of the scytheflies attempted to dive into the shroud, only to come crashing out the other side destroyed.

The remaining scytheflies began to hover and circle the shroud, only to be met with more blasts of the red energy attack from before. The Shadowfangs whittled away at the constructs, destroying one after the other from the safety of the shroud.

“WHAT AN UNEXPECTED TURN! THE IRONCLADS CLEARLY EXPECTED THEIR IRON BUNKER STRATEGY TO PAY OFF, ONLY FOR IT TO TURN INTO A DEATHTRAP! WITH THEIR SUPPORT ELIMINATED, WILL THEY BE ABLE TO MATCH UP TO THE SHADOWFANGS FOR OUR FINAL ROUND?”

The crowd shouted out encouragement for the home team, not discouraged, hopeful that their time lead going into the final round would be enough to score a victory.

“OUR FINAL ROUND STARTS NOW, FOLKS. READY? ROUND FIVE, BEGIN!”

The fifth and final round began, the walls dropped revealing two imposing suits of armor challenging each team. Flames leaked out from each opening and joint in the massive iron armor, the metal edges where the flames leaked out glowing with heat. One knight in each lane held towering greatshields paired with a flail with three heads, paired with the other knight next to it wielding great swords nearly as long as the knights were tall.

“I JUST CAN’T BELIEVE IT! FORGE KNIGHTS, AND NOT JUST A SINGLE ONE, BUT TWO!”

The knights began their cautious advance towards the two teams, flails spinning and great swords raised to strike.

Shadowfang opened with their gravity circles, both mages casting, attempting to slow and control the two monstrous enemies. The magic took effect for little visible gain, the two constructs knees bending, but still advancing despite the magic. Great sword met great sword as the Shadowfang warrior attempted to duel. The jagged edges of his blade not meeting the heavier and larger weapon, but instead trying to parry, forcing the blows off angle using the odd edges of his blade.

Two curved swords appeared, swinging in towards the knees of the flail wielding forge knight, leaving the tell tale dark burning lines on the armor as the assassin dodged backwards to narrowly avoid being smashed by the greatshield. Red energy appeared on both blades, this time spread across the edges from hilt to point. The assassin moved forwards again, twisting to strike at the chains of the flail as it swung. Twice more it repeated before finally a chain snapped, one of the flail heads flying off to slam against the cage surrounding the stage.

Ironclad’s plan was pure, blunt ****. Both shield bearers met the knights head on, taking blow after blow. The flail wielding knight moved to swing at the duelist as he began to strike, only for binding magical chains to reach up from the stage and wrap around the forge knights legs. The shield bearer activated a skill that caused their shield to glow for a moment before they slammed forward with **** as if they had been charging at full speed.

The forge knight was knocked down, the chains and shield bash enough to topple it. The duelist moved in to strike in the opening before dodging sideways, narrowly dodging the massive great sword that sought to end him. The second forge knight came to the firsts defence, large horizontal sweeps of its blade used to fend off team Ironclad as its pair regained its feet. More magical chains rose, attempting to bind the large blade, only for the blade itself to suddenly glow as if freshly pulled from the forge. It shattered the chains and slammed into a shield, throwing the shield bearer backwards as he caught the blow.

Shadowfangs warrior met his end as the great sword wielding forge knight swung down and to its left, where the second forge knight blocked any possibility of dodging the blow. The light seemed to fade as the warrior became intangible, allowing the great sword to pass through him and strike the ground. It was for naught, as when his ability ended, the second knight drove its shield into his back, throwing him into the cage wall.

The assassin had taken the opening, punished the flail wielding by striking again at the same leg they had before, this time shattering the leg through their repeated blows. The forge knight fell to one knee and both mages turned their gravity magic towards it together, forcing the knight entirely to the ground. In a repeat of the stage next to them, great horizontal sweeps kept team shadowfang at bay, protecting the downed knight as it struggled to rise under the magic and its lost leg.

Team Ironclad was struggling to keep control of the fight. As it dragged on, the tireless forge knights were wearing down the shield bearers, blow after blow becoming too much to withstand for so long. They made a daring play, the same ability that had created the overhead cover now being used to create a blind spot for their duelist to strike out from at the legs of the forge knights. The ploy failed as one knight stepped forward onto the extended shield, pressing its immense weight downwards. The duelist's blade was caught between the shield and the floor, pinned. As the shield bearer ended the skill, the knight standing on his ability came down, turning the downward momentum into an attack. Too close, the blow caught the upper edge of his shield as he moved to block, the great sword forcing the shield down and biting into the man’s shoulder.

No longer able to lift his shield properly, the knights made quick work of him, turning the match into a 2v3 with the odds in the forge knight’s favor. Team Ironclad lasted moments longer, a valiant effort that was doomed to failure. First, the chain mage was cornered, unable to escape. The remaining shield bearer was next. With nowhere to run in the caged arena, the duelist managed to duck and dodged in a series of moves that left the crowd cheering wildly, amazed as he found openings to still strike out against the forge knights. It was greed that did him in, attempting to attack in his overconfidence. A knee caught him in the chest and tossed him backwards, breathless from the blow.

“WHAT AN AMAZING DISPLAY OF TALENT ONLY FOR HIS FLAME TO BE SNUFFED OUT! TEAM IRONCLAD HAVE BEEN ELIMINATED!”

The fight wasn’t over for team Shadowfang. They had crippled one forge knight, taking it out of the fight. Missing a leg and gravity surges holding it down, it didn’t take long for the Shadowfang assassin’s blades to make it past the swings of the great sword to finish the fallen construct. The team was able to turn all of their attention towards the remaining knight and its deadly blade.

With two circles of magic pressing down on the construct and slowing it, the assassin was able to find opening after opening, repeating the same process they had used to take down the first. Its left wrist went first, leaving the knight unable to swing its weapon properly. At that, it was all it could do to fend off the dual curved blades.

“WE HAVE OUR WINNERS! TEAM SHADOWFANG MANAGE TO DO WHAT TEAM IRONCLAD COULDN’T! THE FORGE KNIGHTS CAME IN HEAVY, BUT SHADOWFANG TURNED THAT WEIGHT INTO A WEAKNESS! A PERFECT COMBO OF GRAVITY CONTROL AND PRECISION STRIKES, THAT’S A CLEAR WIN FOR TEAM SHADOWFANG!”

Penny went wild as the final knight was cut down, screaming as her favored team took home the victory. “In your face, Ironclad! So much for the tank cosplay! More armor than processing power and look what it got you!”

The team made their way back out of the arena towards home, smiling as Penny and Grace relived every awesome moment of the match together, pantomiming out the different moves, sound effects and all.